Purpose – The aim of this paper is to identify the university student’s preferences for some important attributes of residence hall design. The study also attempts to highlight the differences and similarities in student’s preferences. Design/methodology/approach – The survey was distributed among students who were living in residence halls of a public university in Malaysia. A total of 752 students were recruited as participants. Data were collected using a self-administrated questionnaire. Students were asked to indicate their preferences rating a 4-point scale. The survey included questions concerning students’ preferences for residing in traditional and suite-style residence halls, single room and double room as well as rooms in which each student’s area is marked clearly. Collected data were analysed using PASW Statistics 17. Findings – The results indicated that, in total, students highly preferred residing in suite-style to traditional residence halls. Staying in a single room with shared bathroom was also preferred to double-sharing room. The results of study also indicated that living in a room in which each student ' s area is marked clearly is of great interest. The study proved significant differences in the students’ preferences based on their gender, nationality and study level. Practical implications – The outcome of this study can enhance the awareness of residence hall organizers and architects with regard to some of students’ priorities. Originality/value – The results give an important insight into student’s preferences towards their residence hall. The study provides statistic evidence unfavourably of traditional residence halls among the students of new generation. It also provides an insight into students ' greater needs and requirements for privacy.

Problem statement: Unlike numerous studies have explored residents' satisfaction and sense of attachment to housing, little discussion exists on this area addressing the relationship between sense of attachment to place and student housing satisfaction. To fill such a gap, this article was an attempt to investigate undergraduate students' level of satisfaction and sense of attachment to place drawn from three ethnics (Malay, Chinese and Indian) living in the hostels of University Sains Malaysia to see if there is a significant relationship between the level of satisfaction and sense of attachment to hostel and whether Chinese, Indians and Malay students differ from one another significantly in their satisfaction with hostel and sense of attachment to place. Approach: A 33 item questionnaire measuring satisfaction of students with (hostel fees, sharing the room, hostel distance from facilities provided on University campus and hostel distance from school', hostel design and layout, hostel population, hostel rules and regulations, hostel safety and hostel security and so forth) and sense of attachment to place was used in this research. A sample of 267 (168 Malay, 76 Chinese and 23 Indians) students were randomly selected from seven hostels of University Sains Malaysia. Results: The findings of the study showed a significant positive correlation between level of satisfaction and sense of attachment to place (r = 0.529; p<0.01, n = 267). An insignificant difference was found between three ethnics (Malay, Chinese and Indian) on the level of satisfaction with hostel and sense of attachment to place. Conclusion: It was concluded that (1) higher sense of attachment is associated with an increase in level of satisfaction. (2) Satisfaction and attachment to hostel are not affected by the student's ethnicity.

This study was administrated to undergraduate students living in the various hostels of Universiti Sains Malaysia. The primary purpose of this study was to identify the most important factors that predict undergraduate students' level of satisfaction with the student hostels they are living in. This paper also explored the difference in the satisfaction levels of students living in hostels within the campus and those living in hostels outside the campus. Based on literature review, it was hypothesized that there would be a difference in the satisfaction level between these two groups of hostel residents due to the different characteristics that these hostels have. Additionally, this study investigated the most preferred hostels among students and identified the reasons for the preference. A sample population of 288 students (220 females; and 68 males) was involved in this study with 48.3% living in hostels inside the campus and 51.7% living in hostels located outside the main campus area. The result of the study suggests that satisfaction with fees, distance from university facilities, room safety, room size, hostel security, and hostel facilities are the most important factors which predict undergraduate students' satisfaction with their hostel. There was also a significant difference in the satisfaction level between inside-campus and outside-campus hostels students. The most important factors that influenced that students satisfaction levels were distance from the university facilities, the exterior condition of the hostel, hostel population, satisfaction with transport, hostel security, room size, and room safety. The study also found that the most preferred hostel among the students was Cahaya Gemilang due to its strategic location, close distance to lecture halls and other main facilities in the campus and, good internet network connection.Keywords: Satisfaction, Hostels, Predicting factors, Undergraduate students IntroductionResiding in students' housing, faraway from family for a long period of time, is an enduring experience for young students. This new life style provides an opportunity to learn how to live independently, compromise with other students and roommates, share space and facilities and so forth. accommodation on the satisfaction level of university students has been a popular area of study and of compelling interest to universities. In relation to this, such studies indicates that good hostel condition and facilities in university campuses have a positive influence on the overall student enrollment (Bekurs, 2007).Although there are many studies that investigate factors influencing residents' satisfaction with their homes and neighborhood, there seems to be a lack of inquiry into students' satisfaction with their university housing (Amole 2009). In studies that place the critical lens on students' satisfaction levels of their university accommodation, the units of focus have been diverse such as on the influence of the physical attributes, and, psychological and management aspects. M...

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